


co-workers

by megamegaturtle



Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Crushing, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, almost flirting - Freeform, human contact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 15:04:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9907988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megamegaturtle/pseuds/megamegaturtle
Summary: megamind somewhat defines his relationship with roxanne. somewhat, but not really. what does he know anyway?





	

He doesn’t know why, but Megamind races across town to Roxanne’s apartment nearing the middle of the night. 

Okay, that’s a lie. He does know why. He always  _ knows _ why, but if he just tells himself that it’s only for a second. That he just needs to  _ see _ with his own two eyes that she’s fine. All ten fingers and ten toes accounted for and he’ll be on his merry way.

Because—because— 

Because Roxanne Ritchi just  _ doesn’t _ disappear. Every vacation she’s ever taken is known well in advanced. There might be mild death threats for him to mark his calendar. After all, she complains. Loudly. And angrily about how much he is inconveniencing her. A lot.

_ Megamind, I have to pack. Megamind, what if I miss my plane? God. Damn. It. Megamind! What if— _

(Technically, he  _ always  _ inconveniencing her, but that’s just semantics.) 

And Roxanne just doesn’t get sick. She’s impeccably healthy. Oddly healthy. All the time. Compared to most people. Religiously and extremely hygienic. 

( _ No, she only washes herself and makes sure she’s so clean all the time because she’s around you all the time. Of course she wants to erase your breath from the air she breathes—of course, she hates—) _

Megamind just has to know she’s okay. He hates not knowing more than anything and once he’s statied his curiosity, then he’ll go home. Just—he just needs to make sure there was no break in or kidnapping or fatal flu or—

Yeah, he just needs to make sure she’s okay. It’s been a little bit over two weeks since he’s kidnapped her and she hasn’t been on the air at all either. Or going to work at the news station. 

Or—

Well, he just needs to stop thinking. So hard. Just needs to think of this objectively and ignore that train of thought that he had a second ago about break ins and kidnappings that aren’t done by him and—

Megamind slows the hoverbike to land silently on Roxanne’s balcony. He dismounts the bike easily, his cape swishing slightly behind him. All the lights are off, he notices, but her bedroom curtains are drawn too, so maybe she’s just sleeping.

God, he’s absolutely creepy. In that  _ well, I better check to make sure she’s okay even if she’s sleeping  _ kind of way. His feet feel like lead at the thought as he makes himself to the door. 

Totally fucking creepy. He’s actually doing this. He’s—this isn’t even a kidnapping this is—

Without further berating himself, because honestly he could stand outside her apartment all night telling himself he’s awful, he doesn’t. Megamind sucks in a deep breath, steeling himself as he tests her balcony glass door. He’s surprised it’s open and his heart stills against his ribs and slowly falls into his stomach. 

It slides easily, the metal smooth along the track. Wordlessly, he takes a step inside and from the moonlight, is pleased to see that everything looks relatively normal in her living room and kitchen at her first glance. 

Nothing really too out of place. In that looks like there’s been a burglary/kidnapping kind of way. No chairs flipped over. Nothing torn or shredded. No destruction of any kind.  Just a  few cups litter her coffee table, some clothes tossed over her large red couch. 

Really, he thinks if he lingers on it, it’s more strange that it looks like she hasn’t even left her apartment since the last kidnapping.. Taking another step inside, he finds papers scattered in piles everywhere. A chaos of some sort in every direction, a movable white board by her dining table, her laptop’s bubbly screensaver emitting a soft glow tucked in the corner. 

He treads lightly  inside, finding himself winding towards the the nearest stack, having to know what’s going on with all the paperwork. He crouches down quickly enough, his gloved hand barely brushing the first page. A compilation of date of some sort, so many numbers and—

“What are you doing?” 

Megamind shrieks and falls back on his ass, his palms awkwardly catching him. His wrists sting from the strange angle and blood rushes to the back of his skull when the weight of it makes him tip backwards, looking upside at one Miss Roxanne Ritchi as she peers over her loft railing. 

“I—well—you see,” he stammers. “You’re alive!” he rushes instead. 

It’s dark and though his eyesight is better in the dark than humans, Roxanne still looks a bit shadowy. He doesn’t need light to see her raising a questioning brow at him though. 

“Am I not supposed to be? Is that—is that part of some evil plan of yours?”

She sounds like she’s kinda joking, but Megamind isn’t really sure and—

“No!” he shouts, jumping to his feet. He sways a bit as his head rushes from the jarring movement. “No,” he says more seriously. “That’s never part of any plan.” 

Roxanne doesn’t say anything, just quietly making her way down the stairs. She squints as she flicks on the light, clutching her comfy jacket close to her. “Are you okay?” 

But Megamind isn’t really sure what she’s asking about because he’s focusing completely on her cheeks, the slope of her nose, the area under her eyes. 

They’re—

“—red,” he whispers. 

She winces at that, turning from him. But it only gives him a more prolific view of her inflamed skin, of the bumps and red that sprawl along her usually clear face. It’s—

She laughs hollowly before muttering to herself. “Wow, no fucking tact.”

Megamind swallows, uncomfortable as he also looks away. “Sorry.” 

Roxanne groans and runs a hand through her hair. She sighs heavily and walks towards her kitchen. “Tea?” she asks, not looking at him.

Megamind blinks, unmoving for his place across the room. “Uh, wh-what?” 

This time Roxanne snaps her attention back to him, red skin and all without looking away. “Tea. Would you like some tea, Megamind?” 

He blinks again and instinctively gravitates towards her. “Uh, yes. Tea. Would be nice. Yes, please.” 

She nods once then turns to fetch something out of a cabinet. There are boxes after boxes stacked haphazardly as she reaches up. Mint tea, green tea, earl gray, sleepytime, spiced apple, blueberry, orange, etc, etc. Finally, she settles on some a simple black tea variety.   She seems tired, the way she moves, and—

“I can feel you burning holes in the back of my head, you know.” 

Megamind scoots to sit in one of her barstools, breaking his gaze from her form. “Sorry!” 

Without turning around, she laughs and this time it doesn’t sound so bitter. “Stop apologizing,” she says. As an afterthought, she asks. “You’re not planning on kidnapping me, are you? I  _ really _ don’t want to be on camera right now.” She makes a grand sweeping motion pointing to her face. 

“Why would I kidnap you?” he asks. 

She looks over her shoulder, her eyes only slightly amused. “You kinda broke into my apartment? Like most kidnappers? And well, you usually kidnap me.”

It clicks then, the lightbulb flicking on as Megamind abruptly stands from his chair. Without a second thought, he stalks back towards the balcony door, ignoring Roxanne as she calls out to him. He opens the door quickly and shuts it just as fast, making eye contact with her through the glass.

From behind her island, she’s gesturing for him to come back inside, waving him over, but Megamind shakes his head. Instead, he takes a deep breath and wears the most serious expression he can muster and—

Knocks on her door. Loudly. 

“Miss Ritchi!” he practically yells. “Are you home? I’m not here to kidnap you! Just want to see if you’re okay and—” 

Roxanne races from the kitchen, utterly terrified and slams the door open and tugs Megamind inside faster than he can blink. She shoves him to the side as she closes the curtains before whirling on him.

(He can still feel the pressure of her hand wrapped around his wrist. The strength, the action, the grip makes his heart race a little fast.)  

“What on this god green earth is wrong with you?” she grits. “What the actual fuck, Megamind, are you trying to wake up my neighbors?” 

He clears his throat awkwardly and grabs his arm defensively, “Well, you know” he coughs “— I thought it would be better if you know—” he mutters. 

Frustrated, she puts her hands on her hips The red in her face looks more intense as she glares at him. “What? What could you possibly be thinking?”

“Ah, well,” he sputters. “You know, it’s  _ not _ a kidnapping. So. Well, better make sure I’m  _ actually  _ invited inside. And, you might. Well, you might actually be the one waking up your neighbors if you keep yelling at me.” 

Roxanne blinks up owlishly at him, her shoulders automatically going slack, her fighting spirit gone. Silence stretches between them for a moment, blue eyes examining green before she breaks down in laughter. 

She’s wheezing, doubled over too. “So you bang on my door!” 

Megamind feels himself blushing. “Well— I had to make sure you understood!” 

Roxanne grins at him, her laughter in her smile. “You could have just told me that in the first place rather than wake the dead!” 

He huffs, a smile of his own quirking at his lips. “Would you have believed me?” 

She hums, calming down. Averting her eyes, she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “No, most likely not.” Peering up through her lashes, she bites her lower lip for a second before giving a soft smile. “I do now though.” 

Warmth spirals from Megamind’s heart, brushing sweetly against his ribs and he wants to soak in this moment. Burn this to memory because maybe he’s dreaming. He—

The kettle screams and Roxanne jumps. “I should go get that. For the tea.” 

His mouth suddenly feels dry. Licking his lips, he agrees. “Yes, the tea.” 

“Mmhmm.” 

Roxanne busies herself in the kitchen and Megamind slips back onto the barstool at her counter. He’s staring. He knows that he’s staring. He knows that she knows that he knows that he’s staring. He catches the corner of her eye for a brief moment, but for now, he’s trying to not it bother him, his line of sight focused on her skin.

“Is it a allergic reaction or…?”

“Rosacea actually. I had a flare up. It happens.”

_ About what _ , he wants to ask, but he doesn't. 

“Ah. Is it always this bad? It looks like it hurts.”

And it does. Looks like it hurts. Her skin is dry and flaky and red and—  

She laughs. “It’s not always this bad.” 

He bounces his leg on the stool foot rest. “But why? You seemed fine last time I saw you.” 

Roxanne sighs and plays with the string of the one of the tea bag as it’s steeping. “Lavender.” 

“Lavender?”

She drums the counter and awkwardly looks at him. “Look, so I’m not blaming you per say, but—” she pauses, attempting to make eye contact. “You scented the knock out spray with lavender.”

Megamind his heart drops and the words already rushing out to apologize. Again. Because that’s all he’s been doing for the last ten or fifteen minutes or so is apologizing. God, he should even be here. He should just— 

Roxanne raises her hand and he stops. She looks at him gently and motions him to sit down. So he does.

“Like I said,” she starts. “I’m not blaming you. In retrospect, the lavender is a nice touch. I do like the smell of lavender! It’s just,” she points at her face. “Fragrance and my skin don’t get along much. As you can see.”

She lets go of the tea bag, a bit dribbling over the edge of the mug. Roxanne sends him another friendly smile and it’s so— strange. Really, she should be angry, but she’s not and—  

“Usually, I can still wear makeup, but yeah. I’m not leaving the house until it settles down,” she says it matter-of-factly. 

“What about work?”

“Just working on my longer pieces at home. Writing some scripts for the station. You know. The desk work usual.”

He snorts. “I don’t think I do.”

She settles a mug in front of him. It matches hers: blue with a white handle. That makes his heart heart melt somewhat. The idea that they have something matching, if only for a moment. 

She gives him a wry smile. “No, maybe you don’t.” 

“Either way,” he says, his fingers tapping against the mug. “I promise to not kidnap you until after you go back to work. Like on the camera. It’s the least I can do.”

“...thank you...that’s...well, that’s rather sweet of you, Megamind,” she says. 

Things are fall quiet between them as she pushes her sugar container his way. She doesn’t say anything either as he puts heaps of sugar in his tea.  

“I mean, well, I could most likely make you a balm or a pill or something?” he says after the fourth scoop. “Maybe try to find some way to help ease it better than what you’re taking now?” His brows furrow together as he starts to think. “Really, it shouldn’t be too hard— I think I could do it,” he trails. 

“If you do that, I’ll love you forever. Just saying,” Roxanne says offhandedly, chuckling to herself. 

Megamind snaps his attention to her, feeling fluttery, all thoughts ceasing. “Um.”

Um, as in what, as in how as in why as in why not? Well, he knows the answer to why not but still, all he is left with is um. 

She quirks a brow, “What?” 

She looks amused, her head tilting to the head as she waits for him to find his words. If he can even find words because— because— Roxanne Ritchi has literally said the one sentence in regards to him he never thought she’d say.

Ever.

So.

Um.  

“Wh-what you just said,” Megamind stammers because at this point, he is no longer an evil overlord. He has to be dead. In a weird afterlife where he drinks tea in Roxanne’s apartment and she smiles at him and almost hints that maybe, one day, she could possibly— 

“What did I say?” she asks, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hand. 

There’s a beauty mark near the corner of her mouth and Megamind’s heart has grown so much he can’t even breathe right. His chest has expanded so much he feels like he’s going to pop. 

His voice is higher than usual, disbelieving because what she said could not be true. “That you’d love me? Forever?”

She blinks, her face completely blank and then she—well, if had to describe it, he’d say it’s like she explodes. 

“Oh. Oh god!” her eyes are wild, her hand twisting this way and that way. “It’s, um, an expression? People say?” she rushes. “Because love is like— lots of things and there are tons of layers to love and I’d be so—  I’d be super grateful. I’d be happy. I’d be doing backflips over ten cows!”

(He tries not to be....sorely disappointed. He can’t be. Because Roxanne Ritchi would never actually love him. Not romantically, not romantically. But— she said there were layers to love and he is going to tuck that phrase away, maybe to soothe his heart and his mind on bleak, bleak days.)  

Instead, he focuses on more pressing things, things that don’t require layers, but logic. 

“Ten cows?! Why ten? That wouldn’t be right realistically, if you’re going to exaggerate, Miss Ritchi.”

“I don’t know, Megamind!” she says, throwing her hands up in the air. “It seemed like a good number!”

He presses his lips together, shaking his head. “Six seems like a more doable number though? Still impressive, more than five, but not too impossible. Especially if you were to possibly launch yourself off something— like a gymnast!” 

“I mean, I don’t normally vault over cows to begin with. Frontwards or backwards for the matter,” Roxanne says. “ I just— yeah, thank you. If you were to help me, I’d be really thankful.”

She pats the top of his hand finally, sealing her thanks and Megamind does everything to not stare down at his gloves. And replay the moment over and over and over and over again.  

“An-anytime, Miss Ritchi. You’re—” 

_ the woman of my dreams,  _ he wants to say. “— co-worker?”

Wow. Talk about a non sequitur. 

“Co-worker?” she asks, nonplussed and curious, being very nosy reporter like. 

“Yes,” he adds with a nod because if there is one thing Megamind has learned is that the best lies are the ones that you believe yourself and he’s going to stick with this instead of, you know, confessing everything. “ With Metro Man. You’re my co-worker.” 

Roxanne nods slowly, as if she’s absorbing his words. Tentatively, she sips her now cooling tea. “I, uh, never thought about it that way, but that’s one way to put it.”

“A bit unorthodox, yes. But we’re colleagues in the grand scheme of things.

_ Because of destiny _ , rests on his tongue because the last thing he needs to do is begin a destiny rant to Roxanne after lamely, all of this. Whatever this is, but it’s bizarre. In the same vein his head is bizarre, but he’s unable to look away or stop himself from wanting more. 

“Well, thank you. From one co-worker to another.” 

She yawns.

He’s watched enough movies to know when it’s his cue. And it’s getting rather late, crawling towards one in the morning to be exact. “I think I better leave. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ll see if I can do something for your skin. Give me a little bit, okay?” 

She nods and smiles again, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she holds back another yawn. “Thanks for coming over for tea, I guess? It was— nice.”

Roxanne says nice in the way that people don’t mean things are actually nice. But she’s smiling at him and his mind and heart and everything are getting read wrong which is wrong because usually megamind is right. About things. Not people, but things and— he needs to stop thinking. 

“Well, after you’re back to work,” he says standing and moving backwards towards the door, “be prepared for some devious plots,” he juts a finger in her direction. “Super awful. Beyond evil. Horrifying bad,” he emphasis every other word with another jab. : I’ll let you off the hook for now, but once you’re better, remember who’s in charge.”

She quirks a brow and leans against her archway across the room. “I thought you said we’re co-workers.”

“I’m more like your supervisor,” he shrugs, his heel tapping the glass door before he turns around. Looking over his shoulder, he smirked. “An evil supervisor.”

“Uh-huh,” Roxanne pushes off the wall and moves towards him. Megamind steps back as she stands beside him, opening up the door for him to exit. “Pretty sure I already have one of those back at the station and they’re miles load more evil than you in that department.

She’s so close, he thinks, it makes him feel a little breathless. 

“Have they— “ he starts, but stops when she pats him on the back, the cold air hitting his face.

“Thanks for coming by, Megamind,” she says softly. “I mean it. I guess I was a little lonely.” 

“Of course,” he sputters. “That’s what—” 

“—co-workers are for, right?” 

He nods once, swallowing and finally takes his first step outside. “I’ll be back to kidnap you. When you’re feeling better, that is.” 

Roxanne rests on the glass door, hugging her arms across her chest. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to say I’d be looking forward to it.” 

To that, he laughs, “Well, you’ve never been a standard damsel.” 

“No, I suppose not,” she grins. “But you’re not a standard villain either.” 

He doesn’t know what she means by that, but he thinks it’s a compliment. “Of course not, I’m a supervillain after all.” 

She hums. “Of course,” she agrees. “Anyway, good night, Megamind. See you at the next kidnapping.” 

Megamind stares, his lips parting when she holds back a laugh. “This is the part when you say goodbye and get on your hoverbike.” 

“Oh,” he says. “Right, goodbye?” 

“Goodbye.” 

He nods and inches closer to his bike. “Good night as well.” 

She snorts. “Good night.” 

“Good—”

“Megamind!” 

He sheepishly grins as he throws a leg over it, starting the engine. He waves one last time, mouthing a quick sorry for good measure. 

Roxanne does laugh as she walks inside, waving to him before she closes the curtain. “Get home safe,” her lips read through the glass before the fabric falls way. 

And just unlike when he raced over to her apartment, Megamind takes the long way home, enjoying not knowing  _ why _ everything happened, but basking in it anyway. 


End file.
